Fatal heroin overdoses spike in Maryland

Officials in Maryland are dealing with an alarming uptick in heroin overdoses and are concerned that the trend may be an unintended consequence of state efforts to crack down on prescription drug addiction, according to this article. Fatal heroin overdoses across the state rose by 41% this year, while cases involving prescription drugs fell by 15%, the article notes.

Painkiller addicts across the nation are turning to the hardcore street drug when pills become too expensive or scarce, according to a letter published in July in the New England Journal of Medicine. Three researchers examined the effect of the abuse-deterrent formulation on the abuse of OxyContin and other opioids, surveying 2,566 people seeking treatment for abuse of or dependence on opioid drugs. Although 24 percent found a way to defeat the tamper-resistant properties of the abuse-deterrent formulation, 66 percent indicated a switch to another opioid, with heroin the most common response.

About Erin Marie Daly

I’m a freelance journalist based in San Francisco. My book on prescription drug and heroin addiction was published in August 2014 by Counterpoint Press.